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After the Storm...
Scene Information Logger: Anara Participants: Anara, Satomi Location: Land of Fire - Miata Forest - Inside Caves Log The sun is out, the storm has passed, and the camp has weathered it quite well thanks to the efforts of its intrepid defenders. Now, however, Satomi has requested a quiet word with Anara. After all, they were going to be heading in to Konohagakure soon, and she had to make sure that everyone was on the same page about their intended actions, and how and why this would be the case. To that end, the young miko has asked Anara to meet her outside the cave entrance, whilst the others are asleep. It is quiet, the air still and not a single animal emerging from its burrow yet. The quiet after the storm is palpable, and the air is clean and crisp from its passing. A pleasant time for a discussion, then, and they did have quite a lot of things to discuss! Still donning her winter cloak as they go into an alcove of the cave to speak was Anara as she knew a mission briefing was to ensue to make sure everyone was on the same page. Having last spoke to Rain, the mission at hand is all too clear to her as she braces herself for a reminder. When Satomi arrives, the Hebi woman would look to her with a sly grin as she gazes upon her with those devious mixed colored eyes of hers. "So....what on your mind Satomi-chan?" Satomi smiles to the girl. "Good morning, Lady Hess." She replies, pleasantly. "No doubt Rain-san has already told you the basics of our little field trip. I just want to make sure we're on the same page as far as the details are concerned." She straightens a little, turning to face the girl a bit more closely. Though she doesn't seem all that concerned by the chill in the air, in her usual miko uniform. "Naturally, we'll be heading in as assistants to help repair the damage. I will be lending my aid to the village as a good shrine maiden should, I believe you are going to be a builder, though?" She doesn't pause for very long, carrying on swiftly. "The main thing I need to know is what to call you. Using the name Lady Hess for a humble reconstruction worker is unlikely to fool very many." Anara would listen to Satomi's words and rubs the sides of her arms to stay warmer from the chill that's still in the air a bit. "My name...." she says for a moment as she tries to think of something less formal and thinks on that her attire is a bit to flashy as well for a peasant. A frown happens across her face a moment before saying, "I guess for now call me Rukia? Just make sure not to forget that name and pass it along to Aki-kun. He looks like he might forget while staring off at some of the local girls there...." Her giggle lightens the mood some as she teases her partner in crime. Satomi nods slowly, her expression a touch more serious, though not overly much. "I won't forget." She reassures the girl, "Obviously, it will be important for you to pick up what information you can... but, at this moment in time, our primary concern is stealth. As I advised Rain-san, Konohagakure is in a state of disarray right now... but they are still a Great Village, and it is likely that, if anything, they will be more ruthless with outsiders than normal. After all, for all they know, we could be Chikagakure spies. We aren't, but they are unlikely to wish to take that risk. It is essential that we give no hint of our true purpose, or any reason at all for them to suspect us of being anything other than normal people trying to make the best of a bad situation. I trust you understand that? Anara simply nods to Satomi as she went into specifics of Konoha's might and she agreed wholly. "I understand completely Satomi-chan, i'll do my best to get things moving on my part and make sure i'm not just dead wait to our cause." She would bow to her friend and think about what woman in the camp is about her size to get some less than fashionable clothes from. "Uhm...know any of the women here that's about my size by chance? I'll need something to cover me fully to hide this tattoo of mine as well. So skirts or sleeveless shirts are out of the question." Satomi shrugs slightly, "I'm sure one of the refugees will have something suitable." She says, not really knowing all of them by name, she works a little tension out of her shoulder. "Think of this as a crucible. We will be surrounded by men and women more than capable of killing us a dozen times before we can blink, and we are, to some small degree, working against them. Hopefully, as we have no real reason to risk our hand at this early stage, we'll be able to proceed smoothly. On the other hand, there are a few variables I still find... less than perfect. If one of us should fail, our prime objective is to retreat from Konoha as quietly as we can, and try to get word back here. Rain-san's safety and the safety of the others is more important than our own." Satomi's words rung with truth, but it stung none the less to think her life was less than someone elses. "How can I say no to that? After all, it was because of him i'm here and alive in the first place. I owe him alot...I owe him my life..." Anara's usual cheerful tone had somewhat left as the air to her got stale and was dying to get out and on with the mission. Her thoughts go back to her parents for a moment, but not as one would think. The only thought on her mind would be, 'Are they dead and gone yet or are they alive and well? How would I know them even if I saw them...?' Satomi shrugs slightly. "It'd be worth more purely because ours would already be forfeit." She says this so calmly she may as well be explaining the weather. "If one of our number gets captured, I don't hold out much hope that they will be able to keep quiet about the people they traveled with. Rain and the others would have the chance to escape, because nobody else in the village would have seen them. With the captured person and the collaborating evidence of the ninja who will see us enter together, we'd have no chance." Her reasoning explained in full, the girl straightens up. "In that instance, we shall travel alone for several weeks before we meet up with the others again. If we are hunted, we will be killed in that time. Naturally, you needn't worry about this too much if I am captured." She flashes a quick smile, and pushes her glasses further up her nose. "If I am the one captured, I will commit suicide before they have the opportunity to stop me. I do not expect you or Aki-kun to do the same. You could bargain for your lives, after all, and continue to live." Quietly, Anara stands there as she turns her back to Satomi for a moment before saying, "What AM I living for? What other purpose do I have in life aside from aiding Rain's cause at the moment? My life died nearly 13 years ago when I was taken from my family and raised...." She goes quiet again and hugs her arms from a cool draft that blows passed her. She gives a half look over her shoulder at Satomi and adds, "I'm nothing more than a tool for Rain's goals at this point. I'll offer my talents as best I can before my time here is done. There's nothing more for me here..." Satomi smiles softly, letting the girl speak. When she is done, however, she moves behind her and places one hand softly on her shoulder. "Your suffering is extensive." She says, quietly. "But you will work through it. Take it and grow stronger from it. You are not simply a tool; you have flesh and blood and the spark of life inside you. In time, you will find a path to set your feet to again. Perhaps it will be alongside Rain-san. His suffering has also been great. But his path is laid out before him. To devote yourself to him would be a possibility... but do so as an equal, and work through your pain like a human being." Satomi's touch and kind words eased Anara's pain for now as she turns to give her friend a hug in understanding her situation. "Thank you Satomi-chan...I'll do my best to find my way again." She closes her cloak once more to stay warm and bows to the med-girl. "Well I guess the only thing left is to prepare for our departure and get this party started right? I'll have to leave my girls here for this mission. They kind of stand out on people of a lesser stature." When she says girls, she means her twin rapiers she wears at her sides. As she gives a smile to Satomi, she lifts the flap to head out towards the common area to find some suitable travel clothing for the trip. Satomi simply nods. "Indeed." She says, softly. Keeping the rest of her thoughts to herself, she heads back into the cave herself. She would need to have a similar conversation with Akihiko, before the group was ready to enter the dragons lair, but, she did feel at least a little bit better now that she had gotten the clarifications with Anara out of the way. Nice and simple, that. Of course, she'd have to select a small amount of tea to bring for herself... oh, the sacrifices we make in the name of the greater good!